Boy with autism builds world's largest Lego Titanic replica

04/28/2018

The world's largest Lego replica of the doomed Titanic liner was built over 700 hours -- 11 months -- by a 10-year-old boy from Reykjavik, Iceland, who is on the autism spectrum.

It will make its American debut Monday at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Brynjar Karl Bigisson, now 15, built the replica with 56,000 Lego bricks. It's 26 feet long and 5 feet tall.

Brynjar remembers playing with Legos for hours when he was 5. "I sometimes built from instructions, and sometimes, I used my own imagination," he said. At the time, he was obsessed with trains, but that changed when his grandfather Ludvik Ogmundsson took him fishing on a boat, sparking an interest in and appreciation for ships. By the time Brynjar was 10, he knew everything there was to know about the Titanic.

"When I traveled with my mom to Legoland in Denmark and saw for the first time all the amazing big models of famous houses and planes, locations and ships, I probably then started to think about making my own Lego model. By the time I was 10, I started to think about building the Lego titanic model in a Lego man size," Brynjar said.

The model Titanic is made of 56,000 Lego bricks. The project was a family affair, with grandfather Ogmundsson, an engineer, and mother Bjarney Ludviksdottir helping out. Ogmundsson scaled down the original blueprint of the Titanic to Lego size and helped figure out how many tiny toy bricks would be needed to create the model.

Ludviksdottir served as his personal cheerleader. "If she had not supported my dream project, it would have never been a reality," Brynjar said.

Donations from family and friends enabled him to buy all the Lego bricks.

Brynjar says he was able to embrace his autism through building the Titanic replica.

Before starting the project, he had difficulty communicating, which he says made him unhappy and lonely. Now, he has confidence and is giving interviews about his accomplishment.

Brynjar's grandfather Ludvik Ogmundsson helped him plan the replica. "When I started the building process, I had a person helping me in school in every step that I took, but today, I'm studying without any support. My grades have risen, and my classmates consider me as their peer. I have had the opportunity to travel and explore and meet wonderful people," he said.

Brynjar's mother said that when she started raising her son, she felt totally blind as to what his future would look like because of his autism, and she worried about the obstacles that many children on the autism spectrum have to overcome. She is now proud to share with other parents of children on the autism spectrum that it is possible to achieve their goals.

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"When your child comes to you with an interesting big crazy dream, mission or goal, he or she would like to reach and needs your help. Listen carefully and make an attempt to find ways to support the child to reach that goal. It might be the best investment you ever make for your kid," Ludviksdottir said.

She believes it can be hard for children to follow their dreams, whether they are on the autism spectrum or not. They may face financial hindrances or lack of support. But she believes in the significance of dreams. "Dreams keep us going. That is something nobody can take away from us. It's something good to have when you are feeling a little bit stuck or sad. You can always dream." The Lego replica was shipped from Iceland in three large pieces and then carefully reconstructed before its American debut. It will be anchored at the Titanic Museum Attractionthrough December 2019.

Brynjar's grandfather said he believes there are lessons to be learned from what his grandson has achieved.

"Autism does not have to be scary. Many great scientists and national leaders had and have autism. What matters is that such individuals get understanding and support, because everyone can learn from these people if they listen to what they are saying," Ogmundsson said

"When Brynjar was growing up, I often helped him with projects that called for thought and hard work that I thought would be good for him. Then he got this crazy idea to build a 6-meter ship from Lego cubes. Today he speculates a great deal about complex things that require technical understanding."